The Purple Vengeful Spirit's Past / The Angry Purple Ghost

"Waaah... Inujin, you little bastard! I'm going to kill you!" At this moment, the purple Ghost shouted in a low voice.

"... Huh? Did that monster call my name?" The team leader's expression changed, and he looked up at Shirou and Mashiro to ask.

"Hmm." Shirou nodded.

"It's calling Inugami," Mashiro nodded in agreement.

"No way..." Inukane Group Leader turned his head away in surprise, not daring to face the purple Ghost directly.

The only reason he's still standing here is because he's old and has a beard.

"His name was Mitsui, I think. He was with five foreign girls. He was quite plump, especially his big belly. Does that remind you of anything?" Shirou reminded him.

"Mitsui? Fatty? Big foreign woman?" Inukane Group Leader stroked his chin, rolled his eyes, and then said, "Ah! I remember now!"

"You've forgotten about me! You bastard!!!" The purple vengeful spirit became even more enraged!

"Calm down! Calm down!" Shirou urged purple Ghost.

"Enough with the nonsense! You should show me even more respect! Japan's economy has surpassed the US now, making it the richest country in the world, right? If we can just find a way to make the Soviet Union and the US fight, the world will belong to Japan! But the Soviet Union's GDP is only third, ahahaha! That's all thanks to me! You should be grateful to me!" The uncle Ghost cried wildly, then burst into maniacal laughter.

"Um... actually, Japan is currently ranked third..." Shirou hesitated, unsure how to explain this to uncle Ghost who died in the 1980s. After all, if he were still alive, he would be around 80 years old now, and there was a significant generation gap between them.

"Huh...?" The purple-haired uncle Ghost dropped in astonishment.

"In fact, China is now second in GDP rankings, and it's been almost ten years since it surpassed Japan," Shirou told the Ghost uncle.

He died during a period of rapid economic growth, just before the bursting of Japan's economic bubble, which is why he was so optimistic that Japan would continue its unstoppable economic leap.

It's important to understand that while the Plaza Accord is widely considered the cause of Japan's economic collapse, the Japanese economy did reach unprecedented heights in the years leading up to the agreement. In the 1990s, Japanese companies displayed an astonishing appetite, expanding globally and acquiring companies, research institutions, and real estate in various countries at exorbitant prices.

The uncle has been running a business that's neither too big nor too small. If he catches this wave, he might be able to create a great future for himself.

But he died before he could do anything, simply because Inujin was lazy and didn't go to the designated pharmacy, instead buying fake medicine from a roadside vendor. After the uncle's death, his fortune was divided up by his poor relatives, big and small. What's even more infuriating is that no one paid any respects to him during holidays.

Unfortunately, reality is harsh; that was decades ago, which, though not long, was one of the most turbulent periods in human history.

Decades is enough time for a country with nothing to industrialize. The West took two hundred years, China took twenty years, and Burma took two years—all succeeding. Japan, on the other hand, experienced thirty years of economic stagnation.

Just as Americans were shocked that Huawei's technology had surpassed theirs!

"Huh? Really?" The middle-aged man stared blankly at Shirou.

"The Soviet Union no longer exists," Mashiro said, showing she had this common sense.

"Huh?" the middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise.

"It's true." Shirou took out his phone, which displayed a ranking of GDP.

"Huh? No way? We have Mitsubishi and Toshiba! What about Sony? What about Tsutsumi Yoshiaki of the Seibu Group?!" The purple Ghost uncle gaped, unable to accept reality, and shouted loudly on the verge of collapse.

However, if someone had told you two Father Ma twenty years ago that you could build your companies into the world's top 100 and have the potential to become the number one internet company, very few people would have actually believed it. Everyone would have thought you were crazy.

"Sony has now transformed into a digital product manufacturer, selling games and engaging in the entertainment industry. Apart from its mobile phones not being very good, it's still very strong in other areas. Especially in the game console sector, the PS series of home game consoles are selling very well, and its sales have surpassed Nintendo to become number one in the world," Shirou said.

"What? A game console? Are you kidding me? Sony is going to Nintendo and make those kinds of toys for kids? I can understand making movies, after all, they did claim they were going to buy up all of Hollywood. But what's so profitable about games?"

"No... making games, especially mobile games, is very profitable now. A game only needs 20% of paying players to make money. Many people have this disease that they'll die if they don't spend money," Shirou said.

"Huh? Do foreigners like playing Pachinko now? Isn't Nintendo just a company that makes toys for kids? What on earth is Matsushita doing?" the ghost uncle said, completely bewildered.

"No, no... In my memory, Nintendo has always been one of the most profitable game companies in the world. They've always been fierce competitors with Sony," Shirou said.

Having lived through the era of the Ghost Uncle, the time when the Famicom was developed, he's already in his thirties, so naturally he can't possibly understand the greatness of Nintendo. It's like someone who hasn't seen Kyoto Animation's animation wouldn't understand just how tragic the incident was.

In the field of television animation, Kyoto Animation, which stands alone in Kyoto and is known as the conscience of the industry and a guarantee of high-quality works, has suffered a disaster.

In the future, Japanese animation may only consist of low-budget, poorly made light novel adaptations, produced by animation studios with inconsistent quality.

However, the Ghost Uncle's thinking wasn't entirely wrong. After all, he was indeed from a different era. For an old man who had been out of contact for thirty years, if he had asked about the Sony Empire, he would naturally have to ask about the Matsushita Empire, which had been Sony's direct competitor back then.

"Matsushita Electronics has actually been kicked out of the top ten in the Chinese market," Shirou said.

"Hey... is that older brother also... lacking a successor?"

"Ah, but Uniqlo has really grown into a huge company. He's become the richest man in Japan. He can earn 40 billion RMB a year just from China," Shirou said, recalling the big brand he founded in the 1980s.

"Huh? My buddy? That kid!" The ghost uncle's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock.

"I've only been dead for less than thirty years, how come the world has become unrecognizable!"

With each word Shirou spoke, the purple Ghost shrank in size.

In the end, if he doesn't die, he might very well become one of those who jump off buildings and commit suicide after the bubble bursts.

After this thought arose, much of the resentment in his heart dissipated.

Chapter 824 The Past of the Purple Vengeful Spirit

The 1980s were a crazy era, a time of rapid change and dramatic transformations around the world. It all started during this period. Every day, all sorts of amazing and bizarre things happened.

China's reform and opening up brought in foreign cultures and resources, officially placing it on the world stage.

Jobs of Apple has just been ousted from the company by the board of directors.

Bill Gates has not yet become synonymous with the American Dream; the Windows system is only at version 2.0, barely usable with Word and Excel, and there is still a long way to go before version 95 is developed.

Forbes released its first-ever list of billionaires, with a Japanese real estate tycoon becoming the world's richest person.

Japanese anime classics began to be produced, such as Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball Part 1, Saint Seiya...

The most fashionable game console was Nintendo's Famicom, which released many pixel-style but very fun games, such as Super Marie., Battle City, and Duck Shooting...

That was also the youth of many people's parents' generation. The Korean Wave hadn't been born yet, and the idol of teenagers was Momoe Yamaguchi...

Japan was very powerful at the time, and the Japanese people were very arrogant. This is perhaps an inevitable process for any country. After decades of dormancy, it rises and then erupts. Only after the suppressed emotions are completely released can the country gradually return to normalcy.

Just like how Middle Eastern tycoons became rich overnight due to rising oil prices, they always do things that attract attention.

Or like Iran, which constantly proclaims itself the successor to the Persian Empire, a rising superpower, and the decline of foreign powers. If the United States wants to sanction them, then they will retaliate by sanctioning the United States in return.

Then some people in China uncontrollably became arrogant, developing the illusion that they could easily defeat everything foreign.

Little did they know that there were not just one foreign country, but more than two hundred, including bystanders, ingrates, opportunists, and powerful Western nations eyeing the country covetously.

The Japanese at that time did many absurd things, and many stories and accidents also occurred in this shady hotel. Because technology was not so advanced at that time, and the law was not so perfect, people were immersed in a life of frantically making money and then frantically spending it.

There are quite a few gold diggers who will follow you as long as you pay them. Cults, corrupt officials, and gangsters—all sorts of forces collude to form various factions, all for the sake of making more money.

The wealthy collect luxury cars and jewels, Chinese antiques and calligraphy, and European and American luxury goods. They travel everywhere, and their indispensable form of entertainment is gambling.

Shinjuku's red-light district was at its most open and unregulated, indulging to the point of madness, and also at its darkest period.

Several murders have occurred in this hotel. The ghost is actually a victim from that period.

At that time, Inugami had not yet become the leader of the Inugami Group independently; he was merely a low-level member of the organization who lent money and ran errands at casinos.

Because private casinos only accept cash, they are a popular place for money laundering. However, the maximum amount that can be wagered is only 10,000 yen. If you gamble a little more and have bad luck, you might not even have enough money in a single night, even if you have tens of thousands of yen.

Big bosses can't exactly bring a truckload of money to the casino, so underworld organizations provide them with loan services. Whenever a boss doesn't have enough cash and doesn't want to leave, they'll call on underworld members to lend them money.

Once the big boss has had his fill of fun, he'll take his underlings to the bank to withdraw money, repay the debt, and collect interest—that's how organized crime groups make their profits. If the big boss makes a profit on the spot, he'll be in a good mood and might give them a reward, making the underlings happy for days.

At least in that era of extravagance and debauchery, it was a good business. Back then, Inujin and his gang handled a whole sack of money a day, walking around a casino and following the bosses who lent them money. They rode in almost every kind of luxury car, like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

It was under these circumstances that Uncle purple Ghost met Inujin. His business was booming, and he was a gambler, so he would occasionally go to the casino to have some fun. He was also a womanizer, so after he had enough of gambling at the casino, he would ask Inujin to recommend some good places to him.

So Inugami took the uncle to the hotel and found him five beautiful foreign women. Because the Japanese at that time were really rich and generous, many foreigners were willing to come here to make quick money.

It's just like those coal mine owners in China more than ten years ago. As long as you could get close to them, they would invest millions in a film crew if they were happy. Even if you had no acting skills, you could be parachuted into a TV series as the second or third female lead. If you had some connections and strength, you might even become the lead. It couldn't be more awesome.

Once the economy takes off, and every celebrity can easily rake in tens of millions for just one TV series, getting a significant role in a big-budget production that attracts viewers is something that, apart from Jack Ma, not everyone has the ability to do so.

When Inujin ran errands to buy medicine for the uncle, the uncle kept urging him to hurry up. He felt that even if he actually got to the pharmacy and bought the medicine, he probably wouldn't get anything good out of it. So he played a little trick and went to the alley to find a medicine vendor and got a similar brand.

Now, the purple Ghost uncle has awakened from his slumber. He recalls his memories before his death, filled with resentment and pain. Although he heard from Shirou's innermost thoughts that Japan's economic bubble had burst and that Japan had not become the world's number one commercial power as he had envisioned, many people like him who had become rich overnight had fallen victim to this disaster, declaring bankruptcy or even becoming homeless.

Even the old-school business legends he once admired and considered geniuses couldn't reverse this future.

But that doesn't mean he's completely forgiven. What he can't forgive the most is that the person who harmed him almost forgot about his dog, Inujin!

"I can't forgive! I hate it so much! I hate it so much!!!" The purple Ghost gathered its resentment once again, amplifying its destructive power.

The purple spiritual pressure exploded, and thirty years of resentment erupted in that instant. The round, purple-haired uncle transformed into a ferocious monster, losing all his comical charm.

"Calm down, uncle!" Shirou urged.

If he hadn't helped suppress the resentful evil thoughts, this dilapidated hotel might very well have been destroyed by the evil spirits.

Chapter 825 The Angry purple Ghost

The purple vengeful spirit let out a miserable howl. Shirou couldn't care less about anything else. He Magecraft to strengthen his body and then Projection a sword with the power to ward off evil spirits, protecting Mashiro behind him and blocking the pressure emanating from the vengeful spirit.

The fact that vengeful spirits carrying such powerful resentment can remain in the human world indicates that they are actually aggregates of considerable energy. Some of these powerful beings are even super monsters comparable to Servant.

In this world, there are no Magecraft, but the ghosts are still powerful. Even Magecraft can lose his life if he is not careful when facing such monsters.

What's even more terrifying is that spirits are invisible and colorless, so ordinary people can't even see them or block them with anything. Once you encounter one, you're likely to be unable to resist and will be killed.

It seems that Inukane Group Leader saw the vengeful spirit because he was the target of the spirit's intense hatred.

"Waaaah... Inugami, you murderer! You killed me! And now you've risen to the top and become a gang leader! Do you know how much you've ruined my life?!" The purple Ghost angrily pointed at the gang leader.

"No... you're the one who said you wanted to find girls, but you're the one who asked me to buy medicine. Everyone else is fine after taking it." Inukane Group Leader turned his head away and muttered.

"You still won't admit it!" The purple Ghost grew even larger, one arm expanding continuously, its five fingers outstretched, reaching for Inukane Group Leader.

"Shirou, please, stop that old man! He's giving me a really bad feeling right now, and it's going to be so pitiful if this continues," Mashiro said to Shirou. The girl's spiritual abilities made her sense that the ghostly old man was acting strangely.

"I understand!" Shirou replied and rushed forward.

Shirou stopped the giant hand that the ghost uncle was reaching out to, stopping him to prevent the uncle from becoming an evil spirit! Spirits are different from humans; they are particularly susceptible to external influences, just like the colors on his body. Once they make a mistake, there is no turning back.

If the enraged ghost uncle kills someone, he will never have a chance to be freed; he will become an evil spirit that knows only resentment, and will never have a day of peace again.

"Team leader, what exactly did you do to that old man?" Mashiro asked Inukane Group Leader Inugane.

"I'm not a devil... No! I didn't do anything... Actually, he just asked me to buy Viagra for him, and I bought it. It was just that there was a small problem in the middle. Besides, Viagra is so expensive, and if you take too much, your body will develop a resistance and it won't work as well. In fact, some people want to find something else to take instead."

"The medications are all effective. It's just a matter of dosage control. I never expected the uncle to get sick from them. It's probably because he was so generous, so the five foreign girls served him too diligently. When the police came to perform the autopsy, they didn't say it was the medication's fault!" Inukane Group Leader loudly argued, unwilling to admit it was his fault!

"My body turned purple back then! You still want to say it has nothing to do with you?! Then now I'll let you feel the pain of losing your future! And in that pain, die!" the purple Ghost uncle roared.

The gigantic ghost, emanating a purple aura, began to shimmer and coalesce into a sphere of energy. The sphere flashed, and the sheer power it emitted was enough to send shivers down the spines of those who beheld it.

Flashes of light appeared on the electrical wires on the wall, a tearing storm made the windows rattle and creak, the ground trembled, and black cracks began to appear on the old walls.

It's easy to imagine the terrible damage this purple orb would cause if it were released.

"Whoaaaaaah!" Inujin and his men screamed in terror in the corridor.

Shirou leaped out, channeling his magic into his hands and enveloping his palms in it. Before the energy wave erupted, he caught the purple orb of light with both hands as if catching a ball, and pushed it out with all his might. Then, Projection a sword and stabbed it in.

The sword emitted light, its Yang attribute energy neutralizing the Yin attribute energy of the energy wave. However, the ghost's resentment caused the sword to shatter, and the remaining energy shattered all the windows of the building.

"Uncle! Calm down! Do you want everyone here to die?" Shirou shouted.

"Damn it! Kid! You dare stop me? I'm going to tear this place down! Tear it all down!" the ghost uncle roared furiously, emanating ghostly auras that drifted along the corridor. If an ordinary person accidentally touched it, they would be hospitalized at best, and at worst their Yang energy would be extinguished, resulting in their death.

"Wait! Uncle!" Shirou unleashed a series of sword strikes, suppressing the turbulent energy emanating from the ghost, and turned to the team leader, shouting, "Team leader! If you don't think of something, I'm about to lose control!"

"Ughhhhh!!!" The purple Ghost uncle glared at Inujin, determined to get to the bottom of this today.

"Conditions? Is that so? If you want to talk to me, please come to my office! Don't hurt the others here! I'll talk to you!" Inukane Group Leader, waved his hand and said loudly.

"Hmm?" Mashiro tilted her head in confusion, wondering why the team leader had suddenly become so righteous. Nobody had said anything about negotiating terms.

However, the other subordinates couldn't see the ghost, so they didn't know that the ghost was actually targeting their team leader. Now, seeing their team leader's selfless demeanor, they were all moved and vowed to stand with him through thick and thin.

"Team leader! Wait! We'll face whatever happens together! It's just a ghost! Brothers, let's fight it together!"

"No, you can all go back. Leave this to me!" Inukane Group Leader, raised a hand, blocking the others.

"No! We're not going back!" someone shouted, raising their fist.

"Yes! We'll stand guard outside! We'll all stand together no matter what happens!" all the subordinates said excitedly, expressing their willingness to stand with their selfless boss through thick and thin.

"You lot... you're really idiots." Inukane Group Leader looked at his subordinates, touched his eyes, and said with a smile.

"Hehe..." The others also touched their noses and showed the same smiles; they were all brothers of one mind!

"Understood! Leave the rest of the negotiations to me! I'll definitely find a way to reach an agreement." Inukane Group Leader turned around, leaving his men with a dashing silhouette as he spoke.

"Boss~!!!"

"Team leader...!!!"

The door slammed shut with a creak.